AFP, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned of rising hostility between Islam and the West yesterday, describing it as “ugly, dangerous and wrong”, as Islamic nations attacked smears that linked their religion to terrorism.
In an opening statement to the triennial summit of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Mr Annan said Western governments had to address the grievances of Muslims, while Islamic nations had to make greater efforts to overcome their problems.
The West had to match its rhetoric on respect for human freedom with action to promote development, including a fair world trading system.
But Muslim leaders, who represent 1.3 billion people, also had to play their part by addressing problems such as weak government systems, lack of democracy and poor human rights.
Later addresses by leaders of Islamic nations shared a common theme, that steps had to be taken to erase the smear associating their religion with violence, especially after the September 11 strikes on the US.
The summit heard that such an image had to be countered by addressing the root causes of fanaticism and zealotry and by a campaign against the general association of Islam with acts of violence.
“The more serious challenge … facing our Muslim peoples is the unjust accusations that Islam and Muslims are being subjected to, and the continuous efforts to link Islam and Muslims with terrorism,” Jordan's King Abdullah said.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan said the OIC “has to tell the world that terrorism does not represent Islam, that terrorism is the enemy of Islam”.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said there was an “urgent need” for Islamic countries to explain Islam at home and abroad, as well as to combat distortions by some Western institutions.
Eradicating violence carried out in the name of Islam could not be achieved by military action alone, but also through cultural and intellectual education.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri said terrorist acts “have not only caused loss in human life and property but also have created false perceptions about Islam as a religion of violence and aggression”.
Mr Annan warned that “extremist dogmas are gaining ground, impeding the progress of the entire (Muslim community) and threatening the security of the people all over the world”.
